Senior Editor Molly McLaughlin of ConsumerSearch.com breaks down the hottest 4G phones for 2011 and gives us a better understanding of the current battle between WiMAX, LTE and HSPA+.
Kristina Tsamis: Let’s talk about the landscape for upcoming 4G phones. There’s a lot of buzz about the HTC Thunderbolt, The LG Revolution and the Motorola Droid Bionic. What do you think are the hottest 4G phones for 2011?
Molly McLaughlin: The HTC Thunderbolt is the first Android phone since the Droid X on the Verizon network to have an 8-megapixel camera. It also has a 1GHz processor which would lead you to expect better speeds. There’s also a Samsung phone that has been referred to by its model name: the SCH-i520. That also has a 1GHz processor and an 8-megapixel camera. Both of these phones seem promising.
Then there’s the Motorola Droid Bionic and the LG Revolution. The LG Revolution has a mobile hotspot built in for both 3G and 4G, which is interesting. Most of these phones also have front-facing cameras for video chat which makes them a little more competitive with Apple’s iPhone. These are all expected out sometime in the next few months.
KT: Speaking of Apple, the iPhone recently switched over to Verizon and many are disappointed that it does not support 4G. Do you think not incorporating 4G was a bad move for Apple?
MM: It’s definitely disappointing that the iPhone does not incorporate 4G—especially since right before the announcement Verizon was showing off its LTE network and its upcoming phones. It’s not even definite that the next iPhone that is due out in June will be 4G either, which is a little head-scratching. But Apple tends to take its time incorporating carrier features. While it is disappointing, it really depends where you live in the country. If you live in New York City, 4G is there and you probably want a phone that has that technology. But for Verizon, 4G is not projected to blanket the country until 2014. Right now the middle of the country and much of the Southwest is completely without 4G coverage. So, you have to weigh the amount of coverage that’s out there and the technology available. I don’t think it will hurt Apple’s sales but it will be interesting to see, if we have to wait another year for a 4G phone, what kind of technology will be out there that may be better.
KT: There are a number of debates about 4G technologies. Some question whether WiMAX and LTE can work hand in hand. Others argue that HSPA+ is not really 4G. I was wondering what your take is on these 4G networks?
MM: To start, WiMAX has much better coverage and is more established and widely available. The LTE networks are promising faster speeds, but that remains untested for now. We can’t quite say yet what is better because right now LTE is much smaller than WiMAX. HSPA+, which some people call 3.5G, may not be as fast as LTE and WiMAX but it is living up to its promises and is available on more devices. In addition, T-Mobile has plans to launch LTE in the next few years so that will be another game-changer.
So, to summarize: WiMax has better coverage, LTE is supposedly faster and HSPA+ has more portable devices. It’s sort of a waiting game to see what wins out.
For Molly’s take on the top 4G cell phones currently on the market, check out part one of this interview.
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ConsumerSearch.com is a product review Web site that does the shopping homework for consumers. The site features an editorial team that analyzes a mix of expert and citizen product reviews, bringing savvy shoppers a comprehensive report on the best products out there across a number of categories.
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“Molly McLaughlin: The HTC Thunderbolt is the first Android phone since the Droid X on the Verizon network.”
What are you on?
Droid 2 – August 12, 2010
Fascinate – September 9, 2010
Droid Pro – November 18, 2010
Do I need to continue going?
DroidX Sept.2010
It says the first since to have an 8mp camera, moron.
Calling people moron when they are right, and when I clearly show a quote with a period after the network, and when another person below has confirmed me as accurate truly shows your level of intelligence.
If you would look at the quote I made again, you will clearly see it ends at period. When I pointed it out, the editors noticed and fixed the article by removing the period and adding “to have an 8-megapixel camera.”
But, because you are so intelligent you obviously missed that and resulted in name calling instead.
And, this also shows the level of integrity this website has – making corrections to article without mentioning a correction was made or posting a comment to the commenter saying thank you for the correction.
Now go back to your basement and have mom make you a sandwich and hot chocolate.
You even have a kid and don’t live in the basement with your parents? Wow, great roll mode, dad.
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